charging Batts from my pikup

[featherliteCT1]

[quote="Padilen"] I'm not going to risk my pickups "brain".

That is what I was deathly afraid of too. I was afraid that I would total the truck by whacking out some unknowable electrical device(s) somewhere deep in the electrical the system.

[flboy]

Good point about using the solar panels to charge while driving. However, I wanted the redundancy and ability to charge at night and during rain. Also, I suppose some guys might not have the roof space for enough panel(s) to generate 20 amps. Just brain storming with you.

My isolator was just an electric solenoid … no diodes.

I have no idea how the OEM computer knows that the OEM battery is full while the deep cycle battery is still low. Most of the literature I read about charging two dissimilar batteries at the same time (wired in parallel) using a conventional bench charger, said that the fullest battery would be over charged while the lower battery was still calling for charge.

Assuming it is working as intended, the OEM computer must be charging to a lower voltage than the deep cycles like and thinks it is done... at that point the RV batteries will be drawn down until all the batteries are the same potential. That is why I thought a diode may help .... but if the RV battery is never exceeding the voltage of the truck battery... no point... Batteries are like water tanks in this regard... hook them together and they will find level (or worse... lowest common denominator if a battery is bad).

Most of the older regulators I am familiar with will allow an output of only 13.5 - 13.8 but up to 14.2 volts or so as needed to charge the auto battery. They are really only meant to "top the battery" off after starting the truck however, so it may be getting hot if on and charging too long and thermally protecting itself... I know my converter/charger and MPPT Solar charger will float around 13.5 and bulk charge higher than 13.5V and up to 14.5V as needed. The Auto should do something similar depending on the current/voltage it sees.

What is the normally fully charged voltage you are seeing on your truck battery by itself? Do you get the same results if you take the truck battery out (disconnect" while charging with the Deep Cycle batteries engaged?) Also, what does it do if the Trailer Batteries are fully charged? Better yet, If you are sure your truck charging system is doing what it is designed to do... I'd just leave it alone. Sounds like you already figured out a workaround.

Yes, solar is not for everyone... certainly understand... no solution fits all. Besides running my AC... I got the little Honda to bail me out at night if the charge is not enough to sustain overnight. Sometimes you just end up camping in a place where there is not full sun all day or it is cloudy or a combination of all the above. . In fact, you can let it run in the bed of the truck while going down the road (not in rain) . I have not had to do that yet because I normally am driving during the day. I can get over 30 Amps in full sun with my setup... I always tell folks if you have a good battery bank and you have to make a choice over the generator or solar... get the generator. You can depend on that charge anytime... with solar you depend on conditions.... the generator is backup or supplemental.

[featherliteCT1]

[quote="flboy"][quote="featherliteCT1"][quote="flboy"]

Interesting!

[Iconfabul8]

As long as you are brainstorming, how about a wind turbine power generating thingy, to charge the batteries while you drive.

[McDave]

As long as you are brainstorming, how about a wind turbine power generating thingy, to charge the batteries while you drive.

Perfect! Not dependant on sun, I tend to travel (and work etc.) at night when it's hot. Since I'm "generating" wind anyway, why not use that wind? I'm not sure it could add enough drag to even be noticed considering the huge amount of drag I already live with. And the load on the alternator eats horsepower/fuel making it harder to pull the load anyway.
In places like New Mexico, it seems the wind never stops blowing till the sun goes down. So it could do some of the work even when the trailer was static. Very interesting concept.
Just about to hit the road, 12:30 am temp 88 wind sse 25. It could be working right now...

McDave

[Jscwerve]

As long as you are brainstorming, how about a wind turbine power generating thingy, to charge the batteries while you drive.

Perfect! Not dependant on sun, I tend to travel (and work etc.) at night when it's hot. Since I'm "generating" wind anyway, why not use that wind? I'm not sure it could add enough drag to even be noticed considering the huge amount of drag I already live with. And the load on the alternator eats horsepower/fuel making it harder to pull the load anyway.
In places like New Mexico, it seems the wind never stops blowing till the sun goes down. So it could do some of the work even when the trailer was static. Very interesting concept.
Just about to hit the road, 12:30 am temp 88 wind sse 25. It could be working right now...

McDave

It may sound far fetched, but I actually thought about it! There are two things I can rely on in Colorado, sunshine and wind. Surprisingly, it is actually affordable to have a wind setup.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073LKZ555?psc=1

Thing only weighs 18lbs. My solar panel weighs 44.

Sorry for the thread hijack.

[flboy]

I am going to build a wind generator from a small automobile alternator and cutting turbine blades from 4 in PVC (in planning/design stage.. mods required for alternator to output correctly at lower rpm). It has been done before and more robust than the ones you can buy that don't have the same output. Plus, almost for free if you can find an old alternator (with internal regulator) and some pipe to cut for blades. I could scrap the idea and buy one also if the right deal came up. Not about the money as much as the challenge for me.

When I go out west next year to hangout on BLM land for extended periods, the sun will cover me in the day and the wind generator will cover day and night. On a hot windy day, my AC will run off of it and be backed up by my solar panels. A very good mix for out west.

Btw.. you will pay a gas tax for a wind generator on a car as you would with the alternator. Drag is drag and if the turbine is generating equivalent electricity it will have a similar drag on the vehicle. May be better just to let a small generator run in the back somewhere? If the drag doesn't matter to you, the idea will work. It has been done before and alot of info out there. You just need a very robust bearing in the turbines for that continuous wind speed on the highway. Neat idea in any case for sure. The topic has been discussed in many threads elsewhere. I have been researching this stuff for a while. All very interesting to me.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

[Aguyfromohio]

My 2011 Silverado truck has a 145 amp alternator controlled by a computer with a very sophisticated 7 stage charging algorithm to charge the OEM starter battery...When I installed a deep cycle battery... and tried to use the existing charging system to charge the deep cycle battery, as soon as the OEM battery was fully charged... the alternator stopped generating amps. Consequently, the OEM system would not adequately charge the deep cycle battery....

Thanks for that great information.
Can you tell us more about how you wired the trailer battery charging lines to the TV?
If you essentially connected the charging circuits to the TV battery posts in parallel, I would have guessed that the charging brains could not know there was a second battery in parallel - it would just look like a double size battery in the truck.

Of course every time I turn around I am surprised again by the clever sophistication of modern electronics, and this may be another such case.

[defjr333]

Love that "turbine" pic. Made me think tho....why hasnt anyone made a hybrid turbo generator? IE: built into the exhaust of vehicle to generate electricity instead of or in addition to boost for the engine. Interesting

[featherliteCT1]

[quote="Aguyfromohio"]
Can you tell us more about how you wired the trailer battery charging lines to the TV?

The Ctek unit is plug and play, wired in parallel. All I did was attach the input post on the Ctek unit to the positive post on the OEM starter battery, the output post on the Ctek unit to the postive post on the deep cycle battery and the ground post on the Ctek unit to my engine block.

Attached is a Ctek document showing how to attach the unit.

161231 Ctek D250S Dual description.pdf

(543.88 KiB) Downloaded 261 times

[flboy]

That Ctek D250D Dual looks like a real nice device! I may get one of those (maybe not at that price ). Did you install the CTEK in the TV or directly in the CTC? .. I suppose you could do it either way.. I probably would put it in the CTC just so no parasitic drain in the truck when it is off.

The only thing I can see with this solution is that you will need to disconnect the TV from the CTC when not running or the Ctek regulator will try to keep the Deep Cycles in the CTC up until the truck battery runs down...

You could fix that with a smaller ~25A continuous duty solenoid to feed the CTEK the TV battery input only when the engine is running and then no need to disconnect. The Ctek should only draw 20Amps maximum plus whatever its inefficiency is. Or just be simple and disconnect the trailer.. I love to complicate things.. Actually, I need to dummy proof stuff for myself.

I like the fact that the device also controls the charge to the Deep Cycles at 20A and keeps all that other nonsense away from the TV electrical system. Much safer solution! Definitely can use the 7 pin connector on the TV connector in this case also.

[fourbtgait]

My 2011 Silverado truck has a 145 amp alternator controlled by a computer with a very sophisticated 7 stage charging algorithm to charge the OEM starter battery and to maintain the proper amps in the system as various loads are applied to the system by the head lights, brake lights, fans, radio, air conditioner, heater, wipers, etc. When I installed a deep cycle battery (with an isolator) and tried to use the existing charging system to charge the deep cycle battery, as soon as the OEM battery was fully charged (which did not take long) the alternator stopped generating amps. Consequently, the OEM system would not adequately charge the deep cycle battery. After much research, I installed the Ctek 250S charger which can provide up to 20 amps utilizing a five stage charging algorithm. The unit was pricey at $238, but it works great.

https://www.etrailer.com/Battery-Charge ... 56676.html

My alternator, like most alternators, is designed to operate continuous duty at no more than about 65% of rated capacity (145amps x 65%= 94 amps maximum), otherwise the diodes in the alternator are at risk of will burning out. Before I bought the Ctek unit, I made sure that the extra 20 amps drawn by the unit would not exceed the 94 amp maximum.

That is typical of new vehicles.
My 4runner with tow package came standard with a hot lead in the 7 pin connector. Yes, its like 14 ga. But if you look in depth, it is not meant to provide a full charge to a battery but more of a trickle charge. Best thing is to go to one of the forums for a specific vehicle and ask the questions. For me, the toyota 4runner forum provides very indepth knowledge across the board.
I travel with a full charge starting off with the battery. Designed the amp hours of the battery to the draw of the trailer. Have a solar panel to charge when stopped.

[featherliteCT1]

[quote="flboy"]Did you install the CTEK in the TV or directly in the CTC? .. I suppose you could do it either way.. I probably would put it in the CTC just so no parasitic drain in the truck when it is off.

I have two group 29 deep cycle batteries mounted to the frame under my truck. The batteries are not connected. Then I ran power back to the trailer. I put the Ctek unit under the hood. The Ctek operates in temperatures up to 120F. I have a thermometer under the hood right now testing to see how hot it gets under the hood. So far, I have not seen more than 100F but it has not been too hot outside yet this summer. Eventually, I may need to relocate the unit into my cab.


The only thing I can see with this solution is that you will need to disconnect the TV from the CTC when not running or the Ctek regulator will try to keep the Deep Cycles in the CTC up until the truck battery runs down...

The Ctek literature says the units has no parasitic draw. To date, my meters confirm that the Ctek unit has no parasitic draw on either battery. But just in case the unit fails, I do have two solenoids mounted under the hood downstream from the Cek unit with two corresponding activation switches in my cab, with no power to the switches unless the truck ignition switch is "on". That way I can drive the truck: (i) with no charging power going from the Ctek unit to either deep cycle battery, or (ii) with power to one of the batteries, or (iii) power to both batteries simultaneously.

[featherliteCT1]

That is typical of new vehicles.
I am glad that you have confirmed that this is the case other vehicles.

For me, the toyota 4runner forum provides very indepth knowledge across the board.
Good to know!

I travel with a full charge starting off with the battery. Designed the amp hours of the battery to the draw of the trailer. Have a solar panel to charge when stopped.
Yup!

[McDave]

Hey featherlite,
Thanks for posting that Ctek PDF. Very interesting. It's not inexpensive, but the ability control solar via mppt, and control TV to CTC charging, and I believe solar to TV and CTC make it a viable option to full blown solar system. MPPT's alone are not cheap.

McDave